"Extreme Earth Changes?"

Though it's difficult to tell if the weather has taken a permenant turn for the weird, this past decade has seen a "quantum jump in extreme weather events,"  according to IOP Science.

This month alone, droughts, deluges, and heat waves have all made headlines.

The common denominator? Extreme.

For instance:

• More than 46% of California is in an exceptional, 4-year old (and counting) drought, the highest classification according to the California Drought Monitor. Neighbors are now being "encouraged" to tattle on water wasters,  in worst drought in 1200 years.

• Severe weather in Texas, Oklahoma, and Mexico left behind a trail of destruction this week leaving at least 31 dead, many more missing, 1500 homes damaged or destroyed, and thousands displaced. Some areas saw the most rain ever recorded in one month.

• A killer heat wave swept across India this week killing over 1400 people. Temps reached a scorching 122 degrees that left even the roads melted.

• And then there's the volcanos. We've got 40 erupting right now around the globe. Historically, the number of volcanos in a typical year is only 35,  so 40 in one month is definitely extreme.

• Oh, and let's not forget earthquakes. Nepal's 7.8 was so violent the Himalayas sank three feet and the death toll topped 8000. Earthquakes 8.0 and above have struck at a record rate since 2004. Usually you'll get only one 8.0 per year. Since 2004? 2-4 per year.

This May has also been a deadly month for fish, birds, and bees, with mass die-offs circling the globe.

And finally, what about those spooky noises coming from the sky that people across the globe claim they are hearing?

Reported earlier this month in Daily Mail, as "sounding like a trumpet or a collective from a brass section of an orchestra...the eerie sounds have been continuously heard at all different times and locations for almost a decade."

Very extreme. But as a wise man once said: "Nature is a slave to decay and death because of sin and is under the curse described in Genesis 3:17-19. Creation is as impatient as we are to be delivered from the bondage of corruption."  --Philip W. Comfort, PhD.

"All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  Romans 8:21-23

News:

• Associated Press: Punishing Storms in Texas Test Government Emergency Response; officials scrambled to deal with historic flooding, calls for evacuation along Texas rivers.
• Reuters: Russia masses heavy firepower on border with Ukraine, while Moscow issues travel warning over U.S. "hunt for Russians."
• Fox News Channel: Avian flu devastates poultry and egg producers; 35% of egg supply affected.

"Executioners Wanted"

Need a job? Saudi Arabia is hiring.

As one of the top five countries in the world for lopping off heads, Saudi Arabia is advertising for 8 new positions: executioners. No experience necessary.

Posted on the Saudi Civil Service Jobs website, the Islamic kingdom's recruiting the "extra staff" to carry out an increasing number of death sentences, usually done by public beheading.

The official job description? "Executing a judgment of death" and/or "performing amputations on those convicted of lesser offenses."

But don't expect to get rich quick. These jobs are classified as "religious functionaries" and according to the website, that puts them at the lower end of the pay scale.

Saudi Arabia executes more criminals than any other nation
on the planet except China and Iran.

Chopping block offenses include:

• religious apostasy
• drug trafficking
• sorcery
• armed robbery
• rape
• murder

According to Amnesty International, 90 executions were performed in all of 2014. In the first five months of 2015 that number surged to 85.

How is it Saudi Arabia, a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council (and close U.S. ally) is not called out on human rights violations, but Israel is?

A wise man once said: "Well, this is an unfortunate part of the U.N. institution. It's the theater of the absurd. It doesn't only cast Israel as the villain; it often casts real villains in leading roles: Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the U.N. Security Council. This means that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security. You couldn't make this stuff up."--Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

"Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit within humans. I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the nations who try to lift it will escape unscathed." --Zechariah 12:2-3

News:

• Reuters: Greece warns it won't meet debt payments within 2 week deadline.
• Bloomberg News: B of A says markets are in "Twilight Zone". Advises holding cash, gold.
• CNN: China warns U.S. surveillance planes to turn back as planes approach Chinese man made militarized islands.

"Evidence of the End Times?"

On his weekly prophecy report, bestselling author Hal Lindsey said, "While the 'Big News' is good news, it's going to be carried in on an ever increasing wave of bad news."

The 'Big News'? Jesus Christ is coming back soon. 

Each day brings new and mounting evidence, as the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel approaches 70.

Unfortunately, the bad news comes first:

• Earthquakes
• Famines
• Epidemics
• Weather and earth changes
• Ethnic strife
• Hot wars / Cold wars
• Financial upheaval
• Global rejection of Biblical truth

Doom & Gloom? "No," says Lindsey. "Not any more than a woman going into the labor of child birth." The pain is necessary to usher in the new life.

"Prophecy is knowledge of future events," Lindsey continues. "God has laid it all out in advance and called certain Christians to be 'Watchmen', meaning they are appointed by God to warn people of the coming judgment and to tell them the 'Good News' of the Gospel: Jesus Christ will save those who put their trust in Him. Even though the majority will not listen.

A Pew Research Center study released Tuesday found increasing signs of American secularism. Of those with no religious affiliation, 31% said they were atheists or agnostic. That translates into 56 million American adults who do not believe in God, up from only 19 million non-believers in 2007. (Even this is a sign of Jesus' soon return).

The majority of these atheists are millennials. Maybe the 'Bad News' is necessary to get them to listen to the Good News. And let's face it gang, without the Good News, we've got no exit strategy.

"But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"      --Luke 18:8

A wise man once said: "Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists." --Blaise Pascal, mathematician

News:

• Rasmussen Poll: 45% concerned over Jade Helm military exercise; 52% not concerned
• CDC Warning: Ebola survivors should use condoms indefinitely to avoid transmitting disease through sexual contact. 
• Business Insider: HSBC Chief Economist warns: "The World Economy Faces 'Titanic Problem': "an ocean liner without lifeboats".

"A Prophetic Warning From Washington?"

Jade Helm, the latest in a long list of conspiracy theories, finally went mainstream last week when everyone from Fox News to Jon Stewart thought it was hilarious that Texas was concerned over the exercises.

What, you ask, is Jade Helm?

The simplest explanation is it's a military drill. No big deal--not unless (according to the MSM) you need to loosen the strap on your tinfoil hat, that is.

Operation Jade Helm will begin in mid-July and end in mid-September. It will engage 1,200 special forces in armed (and very realistic) military training and swarm the Southwest. 
Their motto? "To master the human domain." (Sounds like an episode of Seinfeld).

The special ops drill, complete with Special Forces teams dropping from airplanes, garbed for all out war, will cover Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

After months of wild rumors and conspiracy-fueled speculation (ranging anywhere from a 'sinister plot to enact martial law' to 'the internment of people in FEMA camps), Texas Governor Greg Abbot ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor the situation.

Apparently, Texas has no intention of taking what they consider a government "invasion" laying down.

The Governor decided to use the State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm after Special Operations officials called a townhall meeting in rural Bastrop County to quell the fever-pitch rumor mill.

During the meeting, Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said, "fear mongers have been in a frenzy" over the Operation.

"It's sad when people's greatest fear is their own government," the Judge added.

On October 30, 2008, only days before Election Day, Candidate Barack Obama proclaimed, "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America."

Like a prophetic warning, those words have come true.

Our government has fundamentally shifted further and further away from its founding principles and waged war against God.

Is it really any wonder the people fear the government might be planning to wage war against them too?

Oh, and those 5 Wal-Marts supposedly closed over "plumbing" issues? You know the ones...(that everybody and his brother are now claiming sport underground tunnels? Those Wal-Marts!) ...rumor has it they're being outfitted with some new shelving . Shelving wide enough to sleep two.

A wise woman once said: "Lawless leaders are changing the world." -- Catherine Austin Fitts, financial expert

"Then He will appoint children* to rule over them, and anarchy will prevail" Isaiah 3:4.

*inexperienced and incompetent leaders

News:

• The Rutherford Institute: Govt. Reportedly Ordered Church to Remove Pro-Life Signs Within 10 Days or Face Potential $2500 Fine and Up To A Year in Jail; Later backed down.
• The Jerusalem Post: ISIS claims attempted terrorist attack in Texas, marking first effort on U.S. soil.
• Bloomberg News: 2016 Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has "reached out to the Pentagon to inquire about Jade Helm Exercise."

"The Coming Financial Crash: Self-fulfilling Prophecy?"

Try Googling "2015 financial crash" and you'll get page upon page predicting just that.

The problem?

If enough people believe a financial meltdown is in the cards, then a financial meltdown is much more likely to happen.

InvestorHub kicked the year off with "11 Predictions of Economic Disaster in 2015 From Top Experts All Over the Globe."

According to Profit Confidential, Stock Market Commentary & Forecasts,  billionaires are dumping stocks and a stock market crash is on the way. "Smart money" people like Warren Buffet and business magnate George Soros have already jumped ship.

"Despite the stock market's record run and Washington's assurances that the economy is getting better, some of America's wealthiest billionaires aren't convinced."

"In fact, their recent actions suggest some sort of market crash is on its way. Do they know something you don't? Not really. The data is out there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, Wall Street is too busy ignoring the warning signs."

Others, like financial writer Bill Holter of Miles Franklin, takes it a step further. In an interview on USA Watchdog.com, Holter predicts:

"We will be in martial law by this time next year. There is something wrong and there is a storm out there...

The hope is to reset the system without crashing it, but I'm not sure it can be done. There is just too much debt out standing. I think everything will be reset, and China will lead the reset."

And then there is Jonathan Cahn who warns in his best-selling book "Mystery of the Shemitah" that September 2015 marks the end of a biblical 7-year cycle. Says Cahn:

"If you are not right with God, get your life right because America is rapidly accelerating into a moral collapse and a spiritual collapse...

If you are not born again, get born again. I believe we are at the verge of collapse."

Getting "right with God" is always good advice. Getting ready for a financial collapse, en masse, could end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A wise man once said: "God has called you. It's up to you to say 'Yes'. Not to decide is, in essence, to say 'No'. God sends no one to hell. People, by default, send themselves."--anonymous

"Jesus said, 'I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God...The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don't be surprised at My statement that you must be born again.'" --John 3:3, 5-7

"How to Go to Heaven" 

News:

• The Washington Post: U.S. Economic Growth Slows 0.2%, Grinding Nearly to a Halt in 1st 3 Months.
• Reuters: "Russia May Be Readying For New Ukraine Offense": NATO Commander
• Fox News Channel: 7.8 magnitude Nepal quake confirmed death toll tops 6,000.

"Russia/U.S.: Playing With Fire?"

"Could a U.S. response to Russia's actions in Ukraine provoke a confrontation that leads to a U.S.-Russian war?" asks The National Interest writers Graham Allison and Dimitri K. Simes  in "Russian and America:Stumbling to War".

That's an unthinkable question and yet the sabre-rattling between the two nations has grown deafening. So loud, in fact, it seems neither can think straight.

How else can we explain this perilous game of brinkmanship they seem to be playing?

The Russian News Agency, TASS, reported back in September that Russia was "revising its defense doctrine as new threats emerge."

What new threats, you ask?

"...first and foremost," says Colonel-General Viktor Yesin, former Chief of Staff of the Russian Strategic Missiles Forces,"...the West, primarily the U.S."

Alexander Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, says, "We see massive movement of fighter jets and tanks to eastern Europe, columns of armored vehicles riding down central roads and other signs of rapid militarization of the region."

"We consider the continuing discussion in Washington on possible weapons supply to the Ukrainian authorities as deliberate escalation of tensions," he adds. "That directly threatens Russian security."

"But that doesn't scare us," Lukashevich continued. "We could recommend Washington, which decided to use the crisis in Ukraine to flex its muscles, to seriously think about the consequences..."

A not-so veiled threat? Considering:

• Russian bombers have been intruding in NATO airspace
• President Putin says he was ready to put nuclear forces on alert in Crimea
• Russia's ambassador has warned off Denmark from joining NATO missile defense with threats of being targeted with nukes
• Russia's decision to send Iran its missile defense system in spite of objections from Washington

If Russia and the U.S. are stumbling to war, the American public (for the most part) remains blissfully unaware...

...and meanwhile, this dangerous game of "chicken" goes on.

A wise man once said: "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind." --President John F. Kennedy

"For when they say 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape."  (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

News;

• The Washington Free Beacon: Iranian Warships Arrive Near Yemen; comes days after U.S. announced it would send its own warships
• The Telegraph: Russia Masses More Forces Near Ukraine Border. A new build-up is under way with Russia deploying air defense units inside Ukraine and massing more troops on the border, says U.S. State Department.
• Russia FM: Grudges over Crimea prompt Obama to say Russian economy in tatters. Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavron claims remark a "Freudian slip." 

"Why is Demonic Possession on the Rise?"

The Vatican has backed a new exorcism course apparently due to the recent rise in occult practices...especially among the young.

Professor Giuseppe Ferrari, a leading authority on demonic possession, claims all the vampire-hype in the Twilight saga (etc.) is encouraging young people to dabble in the occult.

The result? A global rise in demonic possessions.

Professor Ferrari, head of The Group on Research and Socio-Religious Information (an Italian occult watchdog organization), urges only properly trained priests to conduct exorcisms.

Pope Francis agrees. Vatican to Train More Exorcists

According to an article in The Independent: "Although the Vatican regards genuine demonic possession as rare, with many suspected cases proving to be people with mental illnesses, Pope Francis has urged dioceses to ensure that they follow Catholic law and have at least one trained exorcist each."

Not convinced this is a serious problem?

"In 2012 it emerged that the Diocese of Milan, the biggest in the world, had installed an exorcism hot line to cope with the demand," reports The Independent.

"Monsignor Angelo Mascheroni, Milan's chief exorcist, said that his diocese had doubled the number of exorcists from 6 to 12 to cope with the 100% rise in the number of requests for help over the last 15 years."

In fact, in the Diocese of Rome a third of the telephone calls received by Catholic officials relate to requests for exorcisms.

"Priests at the conference blamed everything from pornography, television and drug taking to greater interest in the occult for the rise in the number of demonic possessions," contends The Telegraph.

And the U.S.?

"The ancient rite of casting out Satan and his demons from the souls of the possessed is thriving," say experts. "Exorcism Thriving in U.S."

While concern over demonic possession seems to be the purview of Catholics, the Bible warns all Christians the devil is on the prowl for victims (see 1 Peter 6:8).

"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

A wise man once said: "An exorcism is tantamount to a miracle--an extraordinary intervention of God."  -- Gabriele Nanni, exorcist

News:

• The Los Angeles Times: Putin lifts Russia's ban on delivery of air defense missile system to Iran; announcement draws criticism from U.S., Israel.
• Fox News Channel: Moscow dispatches warships into the English Channel along with fighter jets over English airspace.
• CNN: New Defense Secy: Russia Fermenting Trouble in Ukraine; process of negotiating Iran Nuke Deal not complete.